Holidays in the Languedoc:   Boating Holidays

The Languedoc is threaded with rivers, lakes, étangs and canals, most notably the Canal du Midi - a masterpiece of design and engineering by Pierre-Paul Riquet.

Using France's extensive network of canals you can get the Languedoc by narrowboat from anywhere in Europe.

You can also rent boats at a number of places, for anything from an afternoon to several months.

The British pioneered reacreational canal boating and many canal boat rental companies in the Languedoc are British-based. Most of them will also rent out bicycles

Rental companies (see below) may be found on the Canal du Midi, Canal de la Robine and Canal Rhone-Sete.

Expect to pay from about €800 in the low season for a 4 berth canal boat, to over €4,000 for an 8 berth canal boat in the high season.

The canal passes through (or very near) the following town. (click on those in red for more information)

• Toulouse

• Castelnaudary. Home of Languedoc's Cassoulet. Castelnaudary is the largest town between Toulouse and Carcassonne, and a popular canal boating launch pad. Fly to either Carcassonne or Toulouse to get to the canal boat hire centre here.

  • Connoisseur - Castelnaudary
    Canal boat hire for 3 nights or more
    Le Grand Bassin, BP 1201, Castelnaudary. Tel: 0033 (0)4 68 94 09 75  
    http://www.connoisseurafloat.com/
  • Crown Blue - Portiraignes & Castelnaudary
    Canal boat hire for 3 nights or more
    Port-Cassafières, Portiraignes. Tel: 04 67 90 91 70
    and: Le Grand Bassin BP 1201, Castelnaudary. Tel: 0033 (0)4 68 94 52 94  
    http://www.crownblueline.co.uk/
• Bram.
  • Castel Nautique - Bram
    Weekly and daily canal boat rentals
    BP 25, Port de Bram, Bram. Tel: 0033 (0)4 68 76 73 34
    http://www.castelnautique.com/

• Carcassonne. Famous for its Cité - Europe's largest medieval walled town.

  • Barge Colibri Cruises
    Luxury canal barge cruises on the Canal du Midi in the South of France. 4 Passengers. Itineraries from Carcassonne to Beziers and Castelnaudary.
    http://www.bargecolibri.com

• Trèbes. A small town just outside Carcassonne. This is a canal boating centre, with lots of boats moored here and restaurants to serve them.

• Homps.   
  • Croisieres du Midi - Homps
    Canal boat hire for half or one day
    35 Quai des Tonneliers, BP2, Homps. Tel: 0033 (0)4 68 91 33 87  
    http://www.croisieres-du-midi.com/
• Le Somail. Picturesque Languedoc village with a second-hand bookshop transported brick by brick from Paris. Restaurants and jazz concerts in summer. Canal boat hire from here is popular.
  • Belle du Midi Cruises - Le Somail
    Weekly canal boat rentals
    Chemin de patiasses, Le Somail Tel: 00 33 (0)4 68 93 53 94 Mob: 00 33 (0)6 31 24 38 63
    http://www.belledumidicruises.com/
  • Minervois Cruisers - Ginestas
    Canal boat hire from 4 days to many weeks
    38 Chemin des Patiasses, Le Somail, Ginestas. Tel: 0033 (0)4 68 46 28 52  
    http://www.minervoiscruisers.com/
• Narbonne. An attractive city on the Canal de la Robine. The Canal runs through the middle of the city. Good shopping and restaurants, and the impressive Archbishops's Palace and the Cathedral.

• Béziers. The historic centre is woth seeing, with cobbled streets and good shops and restaurants. The Feria (bull fighting) is held in August. The outskirts of the city are as ugly as those of most French cites and boating here is not especially appealing.

  • Ad' Navis - Béziers
    Weekly and daily canal boat rentals
    La Maison du Canal, 8, Rue des Péniches, Béziers    Tel/fax;00 33 (0)4 67 62 18 18
    http://www.adnavis.com/

• Agde. A Coastal town on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Shops and seafood restaurants. Cap d'Agde is the largest naturist centre in Europe with some of Languedoc's best beaches. An attractive place to stop. You can hire canal boats here.

  • Nautic - Agde
    For weekends to multiple weeks
    Port Fluviale, Agde. Tel: 0033 (0)4 67 94 78 93 
    http://www.nautic.fr/uk/
  • Nicols - Agde
    Canal boat hire: weekends to multiple weeks
    Port Fluviale, Agde. Tel: 0033 (0)4 67 94 78 93 
    http://www.nicols.com/

• Sète. A Coastal town on the Mediterranean Sea and the Etang de Thau. The birthplace of Georges Brassens.

• Palavas & Lattes. A Ghastly modern Coastal town on the Mediterranean Sea, with the worst accoutrements - concrete holiday homes and funfair attractions. Restaurants and shops if you appreciate bad taste. Lattes is slightly in-land of Palvas.

  • Locaboat - Argens, Negra & Lattes
    Canal boat hire for weekends to many weeks at a time
    Argens: Port Occitanie F, Argens-Minervois
    Negra: Ecluse de Négra F, Montesquieu-Lauragais
    Lattes: Port Ariane - F, Lattes
    Tel: 0033 (0)4 67 20 24 12  
    http://www.locaboat.com/

• Carnon. Another ugly seaside town of concrete holiday flats.

  • Canmiav - Carnon
    Weekly and daily canal boat hire
    Base Fluviale, CD 62, Carnon. Tel: 0033 (0)4 67 68 01 90
    http://www.uk.caminav.com/

• Aigues Mortes. 13th century walled town on the edge of The Camargue with its famous pink flamingoes, Camargue horses and black bulls. There are horse riding possibilities throughout the Camargue.

• Beaucaire. historic town on the River Rhône with a lively atmosphere and plenty of shops and restaurants.

 

Barges in France
Weekly canal boat rentals
Tel: 0033 (0)6 15 80 74 91
http://www.barges-in-france.com/

Les Canalous - Plaisance
Canal boat rental from 1 day to many weeks
Tel: 0033 (0)3 85 53 76 74  
http://www.camargueplaisance.com/

Rive de France
Canal boat hire for weekends to many weeks at a time
Port de plaisance, Colombiers. Tel: 0033 (0)4 67 37 14 60 
http://www.rivedefrance.com/

 

 

John and Irene Plunkett have been travelling around French canals since 2004 in a wide beamed narrow boat called Moët & Chandon. You can read about their experiences on various legs of their journey to and through the Languedoc by clicking on the links below.

• Chagny to Valence via Canal du Centre, River Saone and River Rhone
• Valence to Carcassonne via Camargue, Etang de Thau and Canal du Midi
• Port de Plaisance Carcassonne on the Canal du Midi
• Christmas Xmas and New Year in Port de Plaisance Carcassonne France
• Carcassonne to Castelnaudary on the Canal du Midi
• Fete-du-Nautisme Castelnaudary on the Canal du Midi
• Castelnaudary to Toulouse on Canal lateral a la Garonne
• Canal lateral a la Garonne Moissac Buzet Meilhan
• River Baise from Nerac to Valence-sur-Baise
• Canal lateral a la Garonne Moissac Carcassonne
• Spring in Carcassonne on the Canal du Midi
• Canal du Midi Etang de Thau Marseillan Port Cassafieres
• Agde to Narbonne Canal du Midi and Canal de la Robine
• Agde to River Aude and Carcassonne Fireworks
• Cruising to Aigues Mortes moorings on Canal du Rhone a Sete
• Camargue Aigues Mortes River Vidourle and River Lez
• Cruising Minervois Le Somail to Carcassonne Canal du Midi

There is also a travelogue by John and Isabel Powell covering their journey in the Eleonora from Agde to the Sieulle de Naruze

 

Click on the following link for more on the Canal du Midi

Click on the following link for more on getting to the Languedoc by the French canal network

Click on the following link for more on Pierre-Paul Riquet

Click on the following link for more on other famous Languedoc people famous Languedoc people